President Friedrich Ebert Memorial
Encyclopedia
The President Friedrich Ebert Memorial (Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte) in Heidelberg
remembers the life and work of Friedrich Ebert
, who was born there on 4 February 1871. From humble origins, he became a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
and was finally elected as the first German democratic head of state in 1919. Faced with extreme internal and external pressures, he prepared the way for parliamentary democracy in Germany after the end of World War I
. In these years he preserved national unity and made a vital contribution to a social republic.
A permanent exhibition, which consists of ten rooms, follows the political stations of Ebert’s life, and portrays the contemporary background to each section. On a round tour, visitors are informed of Germany’s first president, and also receive insights into the history of the German labour movement and the general political history from the "Kaiserreich“ up to the early years of the Weimar Republic.
In addition to the permanent displays, at regular intervals, special exhibitions are presented which are organised by the staff of the memorial place or brought in from other institutions.
There is a library, which offers more than 7000 books, magazines and brochures, concerning the history of the labour movement in Germany and Friedrich Ebert’s time in general.
Currently, the President Friedrich Ebert Memorial is visited by about 50.000 people every year.
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
remembers the life and work of Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .When Ebert was elected as the leader of the SPD after the death of August Bebel, the party members of the SPD were deeply divided because of the party's support for World War I. Ebert supported the Burgfrieden and...
, who was born there on 4 February 1871. From humble origins, he became a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and was finally elected as the first German democratic head of state in 1919. Faced with extreme internal and external pressures, he prepared the way for parliamentary democracy in Germany after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In these years he preserved national unity and made a vital contribution to a social republic.
History
A small exhibition remembering the life of Friedrich Ebet was first opened in his birthplace in 1960. In the 1980's the memorial was enlarged. At the same time, a library and a record office, with documents written by Ebert and some personal belongings, were added to the institution. In 2007 the exhibition underwent a general refurbishment program.Exhibition
A core piece of the memorial place is the small apartment, where Friedrich Ebert was born as son of a master tailor. He spent his childhood and youth with his parents and five brothers and sisters, in three rooms totalling 46 sq. m. The tiny apartment was also used by his father as workshop.A permanent exhibition, which consists of ten rooms, follows the political stations of Ebert’s life, and portrays the contemporary background to each section. On a round tour, visitors are informed of Germany’s first president, and also receive insights into the history of the German labour movement and the general political history from the "Kaiserreich“ up to the early years of the Weimar Republic.
In addition to the permanent displays, at regular intervals, special exhibitions are presented which are organised by the staff of the memorial place or brought in from other institutions.
There is a library, which offers more than 7000 books, magazines and brochures, concerning the history of the labour movement in Germany and Friedrich Ebert’s time in general.
Currently, the President Friedrich Ebert Memorial is visited by about 50.000 people every year.